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And
then finally Sean Penn's career was taking a big step forward.
First in 1988 in Dennis Hopper's film 'Colors', then with films like Brian
De Palma's 'Casualties Of War', his father's film 'Judgement in Berlin' and
the very fine film 'State Of Grace' with Ed Harris, Gary Oldman and Sean
Penn's later wife Robin Wright.
But beeing an
actor was not enough for someone like Sean Penn! In 1989 he went back to the
theatre for David Rabes 'Hurlyburly'.
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Sean
Penn's first steps as a director led to the amazing debut with 'The
Indian Runner ' - a film about two brothers with completely
different characters and temper - a small, tendencyful film with
absolute maximum acting achievement of the two leading actors
David Morse and Viggo Mortensen!
A wonderfull directing debut for Sean Penn, who wrote the script as
well, inspired by Bruce
Springsteen and his
song
Highway Patrolman.
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Sean Penn directing actor David Morse
Photo: Michael Tighe
from 'Sean Penn - His Life and Times'
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Together with Al
Pacino he then was seen, once again directed by De Palma, in 'Carlitos Way'.
His figure, David
Kleinfeld, would have been worth an Oscar nomination ... one of his best
figures up to now.
Is
that really Sean? Sean Penn as David Kleinfeld - Carlitos Way
In the years
between 1993 - 1995 Sean Penn even thought of quitting acting - but
fortunately for us fans he changed his mind ... and came back with a
vengeance!
With 'The Crossing Guard' he presented in 1995 his second work as director,
a sensitive drama with Jack Nicholson und again David Morse as leading
actors.
Sean Penn then attracted high attention and his first oscar nomination (see
Awards)
with the part of the murderer on death row, Matthew Poncelet, in Tim Robbins
highly respected drama 'Dead Man Walking'.
In the time to
follow Sean Penn again and again managed the balancing act between the
independent, low-budget movies and the big parts in blockbusters, like 'The
Game' from the director of 'Seven', David Fincher, with Michael Douglas.
In 1998 there
were three high regarded films for Sean Penn. Terrence Malicks war drama 'The
thin red line', then the film version of the theatre play 'Hurlyburly', with
Kevin Spacey, Chazz Palminteri and Meg Ryan as well as his wife Robin Wright
and last but not least the leading part as jazz musician Emmet Ray in Woody
Allens 'Sweet And Lowdown' (1999).
For his part in 'Hurlyburly' he was awarded as best actor in Cannes and for
Emmet Ray he got his second oscar nomination (see
Awards).
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And
again he worked as director. For the drama 'The Pledge' he could
gather around him an impressive ensemble with Jack Nicholson,
Vanessa Redgrave, Helen Mirren, Benicio Del Torro, Sam Shepard,
Mickey Rourke, Aaron Eckhart and Harry Dean Stanton.
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Stage direction for
Aaron Eckhart and Sam Shepard
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Black
is biutiful - Partnerlook at the premiere of 'The Pledge'
Aaron Eckhart, Sean Penn, Robin Wright Penn and Jack Nicholson
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His very much
deserved third oscar
nomination followed the next year, for 'I am Sam' - a film in the tradition
of Rainmain and Forrest Gump,
wonderfully interpreted from Sean Penn as the mentaly retarded father Sam,
who fights for custody for his daughter Lucy (introducing Dakota Fanning
).
For the Fox studios, Sean Penn was to dark and not sympathetic enough for
this part, but director and author Jessie Nelson just wouldn't do it with
anybody else.
Jessie Nelson: 'So than began a battle of my saying 'I don't want to do
it with anybody else' and them telling me 'Forget it'. (...) Finally they
gave me one week to set it up at another studio. And God bless New Line
stepped up to the plate and we were out of jail.'
And gladly she remembers working with Sean Penn: 'Sean sort of
carries the energy of whatever scene he's shooting and for the scenes that were gut-wrenching, he'd be fanning that fire all day long. I couldn't get
over how much laughter he'd bring, though. Sean loves to laugh and to make
other people laugh.'
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Michelle Pfeiffer, Sean Penn
and Dakota
Fanning
at the premiere of 'I am Sam' |
Oh ... speaking
of the Oscars ... Well Sean Penn never attended this event. In his opinion
the best acting performances were overlooked anyway.
'Im not somebody you'd want to go to most American movies with,' he
once said. 'I'd really upset you. I get crazy. I feel like they're all
up there saying You're an idiot! You're an idiot!'
September
11 and the consequences - Part III
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